Burlco, NJ, Unemployment Rate Increases

Last week, the New Jersey Department of Labor released data that shows the unemployment rate in Burlington County increased to 9.5 percent in the month of January. The job troubles of the county have continued into 2013, according to a report from the Burlington County Times.

The unemployment rate for the county increased by 0.4 percent from 9.1 percent in December to 9.5 percent in January, according to the data released last Friday. The rate also jumped by 0.4 percent from November to December. November’s rate was 8.7 percent.

There is a total eligible workforce of 243,900 in the county and the rate in January reflected an estimated 23,100 unemployed people residing in Burlington County. The four largest towns in the county saw mixed results. Evesham, Pemberton Township and Willingboro witnessed their unemployment rates increase for the month of January. Mount Laurel saw its unemployment rate drop for January.

In January, the unemployment rate in January rose to 7.4 percent from 7.2 percent. Pemberton Township saw its rate jump to 13.1 percent from 12 percent. The rate in Willingboro jumped to 12.7 percent from 12.4 percent, according to data released by the Labor Department. The rates in the report are not seasonally adjusted.

This is the fourth straight year that the unemployment rate for Burlington County has been above 9 percent to begin the new year. In January of 2010, the rate was 9.5 percent. In January of 2011, the rate was 9.1 percent. In January of 2012, the rate was 9.2 percent. Across the state, the unadjusted unemployment rate increased to 10.1 percent from 9.3 percent. These numbers reflected some 465,100 residents who are unemployed in the state of New Jersey.

Even though there were 3,000 jobs added in January, the adjusted rate still sat at 9.5 percent. The national rate was announced at 7.9 percent.

“What we saw as firm job growth is now shown to have been even higher. The ongoing surge in the state’s labor force count shows that residents are increasingly willing to search for employment in this better environment,” Charles Steindel, chief economist for the state Treasury Department, said in a statement.

The unemployment rate in Burlington County is the 11th highest out of the state’s 21 counties. The highest unemployment rate is Cape May’s, coming in at 20 percent. Next in line are Atlantic County (16.1 percent) and Cumberland County (15.8 percent). Somerset and Hunterdon counties were the lowest in the state with a rate of 7.4 percent.

The largest job growth in the private sector came in the trade, transportation and utilities sector. The construction and manufacturing sectors also saw large growth, according to the report from the Department of Labor.